Thermally-actuated motive device



c. SCOTT-SNELL E L THEEMLY ACTUATED IOTIVE DEVICE Filed June 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m r W M M vW 3. w

c. SCOTT-SNELL ETAL 1,773,551 'ramLLY ACTUATED uouvn nzvrcu 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1927 Patented Aug. 19, 1 930 CHABLE S'SCOTT-SNELL AND EDWARD SCOTT-SNELL, OI BAYSWA'IER, LONDON, ENG- LAND, ASSIGNORS TO VACUUM POWER LIMITED, 01" LONDblil', ENGLAND.

THERI IALLY-ACTUATED MOTIVE DEVICE Application filed June 13, 1927, Serial No. 198,667, and in Great Britain November 11, 1926.

This invention relates to the production of pressure or velocity head in a fluid by means of heat and has for its object to provide improved methods and means therefor.

The invention is particularly applicable to the delivery of oil under pressure to the vaporizing jet of illuminating or heating apparatus using oil fuel.

According to the present invention advantage is taken of the physical phenomenon that when two or more vessels containing a liquid having each of them a free surface in contact with its own vapour are connected the pressure in the whole system is that corresponding to the vapour pressure of the free surface which is subjected to the lowest envelope temperature. That is to say that however much heat is imparted to one of them the pressure in the combination is governed entirely by the temperature of the free surface in the cooler vessel. Nowthe pressure of a vapour above a free surface in contact with its own liquid is necessarily a definite and different one for each and every temperature of the liquid. For instance at the so called boiling point. of the liquid the vapour pressure is 14.7 lb. per square inch absolute, whereas at temperatures above and below this the vapour pressure is above and below atmospheric pressure respectively.

Thus. if one of the free surfaces can be so controlled automatically that its temperature alternates between two values corresponding to two pressures (above and below atmosheric pressure respectively) a ready means is provided for pumping oil against a pressure head in spite of the fact that heat is continuously applied to the other vessel.

Referring to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings v 1 Figure 1 is an explanatory sketch illustrating the main principle underlying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a modification of Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents in sectional elevation a convenient practical construction of selffeeding pressure oil lamp.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan on the line II of Figure 3.

Figures 5 to 8 are explanatory sketches illustrating the method of free surface temperature control employed in Fi ures 3 and 4.

One method of effecting this control may be explained with reference to Figure 1 which illustrates a model constructed in glass and comprising a vertical tube a near the upper end'of which is a spherical enlargement b, said upper end being integrally connected to the middle of an inclined cylindrical glass vessel 0 closed at both ends.

In operation this apparatus is completely filled with kerosene oil and is supported with the lower end of the stem dipping into a vessel containing such oil. Heat is now applied to the lower end of the inclined vessel 0.

Vapour will form at thetop of the inclined vessel 0 displacing a cor-responding quantity of liquid which passes out into the reservoir at through the lower end of the vertical tube. v

This continues until a quantity of the liquid is vaporized, whereupon some of the vapour is driven out by expansion through the lower end of the vertical tube where it is immediately condensed. Consequently cool li uid enters the lower end of the vertical tu e a, which in turn condenses more of the vapour. As the cool liquid enters, however, the area of its free surface which is exposed to the vapour increases rapidly as the,

spherical enlargement b is reached and thus the rate of condensation increases rapidly until a stage is .reached in which the whole of the vapour is entirely condensed instantaneously, thus producing a powerful and sudden vacuum which causes the whole of the apparatus to be entirely filled with kero sene drawn in from the reservoir.

The inlet pipe a is of somewhat restricted internal areaof cross section so that when the pressure withinthe apparatus drops this drop cannot fully be satisfied by the incoming liquid consequently a very substantial and cumulative vacuum is formed in front of the liquid column; the volume of liquid entering the stem a per unit of time as expressed by the velocity multiplied by the area of the pipe is very much greater than the volume of vapour which is capable of being generated (by the source of heat) in the same is certainly much too fast unit of time. Consequently the return of liquid does not cease at its entry into the inclined vessel, but completely floods it as This cycle of operations continues as long as heat is supplied to the inclined vessel 0, the outgoing, stroke being found in practice to be comparatively slow but the recoil stroke, the moment the free surface spreads to the full area of the spherical enlargement, accelerating'to such a'speed that the remaining operationsof completely filling the system takes a very small fraction of a second, and

for the eye to follow when glass apparatus has been used in experimental investigation.

In utilizing this intermittently produced vacuum to apply a positive pressure for any desired" purpose, it is convenient as illustrated in Figure 2 to connect the stem to an auxiliary chamber e embodying an inlet nonreturn valve f. the entry to which chamber sis byway of a further stem 9 communieating with a reservoir (not shown). This auxiliary chamber 6 embodies also an outlet tube 11 controlled by a further non-return valve 7' communicating with the apparatus to which the positive pressure is to be applied, an air vessel being interposed if desired,

The inlet opening 9 is preferably somewhat bigger than the outlet opening k. The positive pressure is caused by the boiling; of the liquid at the stage where only one free surface (this being then the governing one) exists. As soon as the other free surface which is not subjected to extraneous heat is developed the pressure is governed by this secondary temperature. This is of course subject to some heating from the distillation effect and to some cooling of its envelope and when the cooling gains over the heating sufficiently to lower the vapour pressure below that corresponding to atmospheric pressure the reversal, or return flow in the stem 0; commences.

It has been found experimentally that it is possible to dispense with outlet valve provided that the bore of the tube 25 at the point where the outlet valve would normally be placed is a great deal less than the bore of the inlet valve opening.

In the apparatus so far described the temperature of the free surface effecting condensation is controlled by a purely physical phenomenon, i. e. the dissi ation of heat by natural means but according to the present invention upsetting of a hydrostatic balance is employed to efi'ect the necessary control.

In one manner of operating in accordance with this hydrostatic balance control principle, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, a sys tem m, n, o, p is provided, the vertical portion p communicating through a non-return outlet valve 9 at its upper end with a chamher 1* by means of a pipe 8.

A frame plate 6 forms part of the wall of the conduit 79 and also part of the wall of a further conduit u, the latter communicating with a vessel '0 containing a filter w by way of a non-return valve at. A communieating hole. 7 and a fine air escape hole a as shown in Figure 3 are provided in the plate t.

Thechamber 7' contains a tubular member 2 clo ed at its upper end to act as a pressure buffer air vessel and is connected freely at its upper end to a jet 3 whose nozzle is provided with a tapered needle 5 on a spindle 4. operable by a cam 6. This chamber. as well as the chamber o. separately communicates with ducts 7 and 8 respectively in a casting 9. The former duct may be closed as shown in Figure 3) or may be placed incomrnunication with either duct 11 or duct 8 by means of a cock 16. while the latter duct is in constant communication with the inlet duct 10 which is connected to an oil supply source (not shown). The jet discharges into a mixing chamber 12 from which an inverted mantle 13 is suspended. air enterin at 14.

Heat is conductedto the lower end of the inverted ei-shaped conduit m, n. through an arm 15 formed conveniently of copper.

Fisrures 5L8 illustrate diafrrammatically the system 12.. m. 0, p embodied in the construction according" to Figures 3 and 4. the lower end of the pipe 19 being assumed to be in direct communication with an oil reservoir, while the non-return valves (7 and w and the inlet duct 11 are omitted for clearness.

Referring to Figures 5-8 the action may be explained as follows:

Heat is continuously applied to the lower end of thetube m. the whole system being assumed to be full of, say, kerosene oil. Oil vapour commences to form at 17 (Figure 5) and the conditions represented in Figure 6 are produced, oil having been discharged from the upper end of 79 corresponding to the volume of vapour sofar generated in m n.

The hydrostatic head supported by the vapour pressure of the oil is represented by it. As heating proceeds vapour enters the tube 0 (of smaller cross-sectional area than pfm or n) and is conveyed therethrough owing to the prevailing hydrostatic head which efiects a clockwise circulation within the tubes 0, 7) and n. This circulation continues until the cool kerosene in the tube at flows over the bent portion uniting the tube n with the tube m. This causes a very rapid condensation of the vapour such that the whole space within the tubes m and n is completely filled with cool kerosene once more. Meanwhile the vapour in 0 is condensed substantially drostatic head and is of such rapidity that the momentum of the column effects a flushing of the tubes n, m and 0, thereb rendering extremely remote any chance 0 a stoppage due to foreign matter occurring in the tube 7 0. This effect is facilitated by suitably shaping the inlet orifice g (Figure 3).

It will be notedlthat the fluid enters the tube a (Figure 3) in the vicinity of the said upper free surface which-is produced and thus en- ,sures that this region remains cool.

The vapour passing through the tube 0 may be allowed to bubble up through the liquid in the upper portion of the vertical tube p, the bubbles creating a number of free surfaces instead of a free surface in a horizontal plane.

One cycle of operations is now completed and in practice this cycle recurs automatically with regularity, the fluid fuel burner thus automatically causing the necessary fluid pressure, for its own operation to result entirely automatically and without'the necessity for any initial pressure to start the burner.

In order to commence operations it is only necessary to apply heat to the closed end of the lower by-pass portion, when, as soon as the pumping action commences, the mixture entering the mantle 13 may be ignited.

The heat of the latter then maintains the pump in operation without further atten tion.

In order to fill the apparatus with oil initially the cock 16 is turned through half a revolution, thereby placing the ducts 7 and 11 in communication. A hand suction pump or other convenient device may now be applied to 11 and operated until filling is complete by means of fuel drawn in through the duct 10.

In order to extinguish the lamp it is merely necessary to turn the cook 16 so as to place the ducts 7 and 11 in communication with the atmosphere whereupon the small amount of fuel in the reservoir 1- flows out through 11 and the feed pressure is released.

It will be appreciated that the system will operate even with the fuel supply reservoir disposed at a level considerably below the level of the fuel nozzle outlet and furthermore that since the pipe connecting the duct 10 with the fuel supply reservoir is always under reduced pressure (below atmospheric pressure) there is no escape of oil in the event of a breakage or leakage in this pipe.

In some cases we may provide some convenient means for adjusting the quantity of 011 pumped in unit time, e. g. a bypass pipe connection between the reservoir 7' (F i re 3) and the duct 8, such connection inclu ing an ad ustable spring-loaded valve.

It will be appreciated that according to the present invention the continuous application of heat, which may be derived from flame contact, radiation from an incandescent body or other suitable means, causes intermittent action in contradistinction to circulation such as obtains under the application of heat to ordinary vaporizing apparatus and the pres ent invention comprehends means for generating pressure and ejecting part of the fluid contents of the apparatus and then automat-. ically reducing pressure and recharging the generator with fluid, and these functions are carried out. without requiring positively oper-' ated parts.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as newand desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. A thermally actuated motive device including a liquid containing conduit, a nonreturn delivery valve at the top thereof, a non-return admission valve at the bottom thereof, a continuously heated inverted U- shaped conduit, the open end of one limb of which is connected to said former conduit at a point adjacent its lower end and above said admission valve and a conduit of smaller bore than that of said U-sliaped conduit connected between the other limb thereof and a, point adjacent the upper end of said first-mentioned conduit and below said delivery valve.

2. A thermally actuated motive device including aliquid containing conduit, a nonreturn delivery valve at the top thereof. a nonreturn admission valve at the bottom thereof, a continuously heated inverted U-shaped conduit, the open end of one limb of which is connected to said former conduit at a point adjacent its lower end and above said admission valve and a conduit of smaller bore than that of said U-shaped conduit connected between a point on the other limb thereof intermediate of the length of said limb and a point adjacent the upper end of said first-mentioned conduit below said delivery valve.

3. A thermally actuated motive device including a liquid containing conduit, a nonreturn delivery valve at the top thereof, a non-return admission valve at the bottom thereof, an inverted U-shaped conduit, the open end of one limb of which is connected to said former conduit at a point adjacent its lower end and above said admission valve and a conduit of smaller bore than that of said U-shaped conduit connected between the other limb thereof and a point adjacent the upper end of said first-mentioned conduit and below said delivery valve, and means for supplying heat continuously to the limb of said inverted U-shaped conduit which is associated with said conduit of smaller bore.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this s ecification.

" C ARLES SCOTT-SNELL.

EDWARD SCOTT-SNELL. 

